O'Hara's Irish Stout | Carlow Brewing Company

Notes / Commercial Description:
The flagship of the O’Hara’s brand, this uniquely Irish stout brings one back to how Irish stouts used to taste. First brewed in 1999, it has since been awarded prestigious honours for its quality and authenticity.

O’Hara’s Irish Stout has a robust roast flavour complemented by a full-bodied and smooth mouth feel. The generous addition of Fuggle hops lends a tart bitterness to the dry espresso-like finish. This sessionable stout beer is filled with rich complex coffee aroma mingled with light liquorice notes. The combination of traditional stout hops with an extra pinch of roast barley allows us to stay true to Irish tradition, recreating a taste so often yearned for by stout drinkers.

Reviews by Monsteruss:

This had a nice dark wheat colored foam that was bubbly, lacey and smooth. The color was opaque/brown with red highlights in the light. The smell was crisp, yet potent with a roasted barley and wheat aroma. Taste was potent and smooth, a beauquet of many complex tastes with a flowery undertone. Mouthfeel - full-bodied, bitter and crisp. Drinkability - not too bad, has a crisp, bitter deepness - good session.

Poured a jet black color with huge pillowey head took a while for it to come down.Smell was of bitter chocolate and pretty sweet.I thought the taste was real smokey and burnt and somewhat dry and oily.Like the firm body of this not thin and watery by any stretch.Good to find another fine example of a dry Irish stout.

Appearance  This beer is almost black in color with a nice, lightly-tanned white head.

Smell  The roasty malts and dark coffee are subdued but prominent in the bouquet. I didnt find a lot of sweetness here, which is good.

Taste  The flavor is really bold. It is truly a dry stout. The malts are roasted and bitter and the coffee is thick like a Turkish or Lebanese blend. There is some light chocolate here but mostly this is a dry, roasty flavor.

Mouthfeel  This beer is very light though a tad bigger than light-bodied. It is bitter but not brutally so. The carbonation is light out of the bottle. It is velvety smooth and definitely has strong sessiony characteristics.

Drinkability  I can just imagine this on-tap at a pub in Ireland. It is light enough to session yet fun enough to keep you ordering more.

I've found this and their Irish Red in stores around here. This is a very nice stout. It's a very dark brown, almost black, color with a small tan head. Coffee and roasted malt aroma. Nice bitter espresso taste. Dry on the palate. Good beer to drink, will look for it again.

The beer pours a very dark brown, almost black with dark brown/copper light peering through the sides of the glass. The off-white head is a thick and creamy crown that remains and leaves dense lacing down the glass.
The bouquet gives anise, very dark chocolate, roasted grain, and slight dark cherry aromas.
The flavor brings out more of the dark chocolate and light anise.
The mouthfeel is velvety and roles across the tongue with ease, finishing clean. The carbonation is low. This is a very easy drinking stout that would be great by a fire or with roasted duck or oysters.

11.2 oz bottle served at cellar temperature into a dimpled pint glass.

Appearance: Dark brown, but clear, on the pour. Appears opaque in the glass, but is ruby mahogany when held to light. Creamy, beige head is two fingers tall. Good retention, with attractive patches of lace sheeting the glass.

Aroma: Very subtle bouquet for a stout, with mild roasty notes of carob and coffee.

I had this on draft at Maggie Miley's in Normal, IL. If you are ever in the area, check it out. A great Irish pub.

Dark color, almost black, creamy head that holds very well and leaves nice lacing on the glass.

The nose is roasted. Nothing that really distinguishes itself.

The taste really is the thing that gets me. Even though it is hailed as a Dry stout I found it very creamy, almost milky and somewhat sweet. There are hints of coffee and a little caramel in there. The finish is smooth for this medium to full-bodied beer. Very tasty and I prefer this over Guinness. If I see this on tap anywhere, I will be sure to snag a pint.

The beer pours dark brown to black with a khaki head. The aroma is a sweet, slightly roastey malt. The flavor is more of the same with some earthy hops in there as well. Medium mouthfeel and low carbonation. Decent, but nothing special.

Appearance: Inky black on the pour with a very nice bed of creamy lace that rings nicely.

Smell: Roasted coffee, malts, chocolate. Nothing too overbearing.

Taste: Like the smell, there is noticeable roasting of the flavors involved: chocolate, coffee, and a toasted malt sweetness. Behind all of this, though, is a fairly strong bittering effect and this really shows up at the end.

Mouthfeel: Smooth and creamy. Not as thick and syrupy coating of the mouth as I expected, but very smooth.

Drinkability: Above average. Just a slight bit of toasty bitterness on aftertaste, though I felt as though this beer is a little on the thin side.

Notes: I think this would be a good introduction for someone wanting to try a stout and isn't ready to dance with an Imperial stout.